Valentine's Day
by xlittleminxx
Summary: AU. Claire and Peter meet and fall in love. But is there really a happily after for them? Be warned – can be a sad ending…


**Title: We'll Always Have Valentine's Day**

**Chapters: 1/1**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Pairings: Peter/Claire**

**Spoilers: Nothing.**

**Summary: AU. Claire and Peter meet and fall in love. But is there really a happily after for them? Be warned – can be a sad ending…**

**A/N: AU. They have no powers. Claire is older. Peter is younger. There is no Nathan – as in he wasn't ever born. Just one Petrelli. No homecoming. No – New York is going to blow up. This is just a love story between two people.**

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Tim Kring and the amazing show Heroes. In no way am I associated with anything concerning Heroes. No copyright infringement intended.**

**We'll always have Valentines' Day**

Odessa has always been surrounded with clouds of myths, secrets and mysteries. Every person that has ever stayed in the small town in Texas has had his own encounters with these clouds. They enter the town normal people - but leave with an air of mystery surrounding them...something that later would go on to define them. But nothing was more mysterious in Odessa than that fateful day - the day that changed my life forever.

Valentines' Day

My name is Peter Petrelli and I live in this town...have been for the past 10 years... and I can honestly say that I would never leave this place. It has become my home and I have become attached to the customs and mysteries that come along with it.

I first came to Odessa as a young businessman - ready to take over my father's business. When my father and mother separated he moved down to Odessa and started his own business. He died when I was 21 and I decided to move there and take over his business for him. So at 22 I picked up my whole life and moved to Odessa. I arrived there on Valentines' Day.

At first I knew no one and it was extremely hard to fit in. But somehow it didn't matter... and as the myths, secrets and mysteries came to light I realized that Odessa was pulling me in already. For the first year I traveled between my mother's home in California and Odessa and thus I was never in Odessa long enough to make any real friends. But in January I settled down in Odessa for good.

That Valentines' Day my life changed with just the swing of the door. I looked up from my books and noticed a blonde haired girl enter through the doors. My breath caught in my throat at just the sight of her. She was extremely beautiful - more beautiful than I have ever seen in my whole life - and I immediately felt attracted to her. She was shorter than me, was well built with curves on all the right places and had the most beautiful hazel eyes that pulled you into her soul whenever you talked to her. And talked to her I did...

Her name was Claire Bennet and she was 21. She came from one of the top families from the town - the Bennets - and had lived in Odessa all her life. She seemed shy around me but it was the way that she smiled and looked at me that stole my heart at that moment. She was incredible. We talked for a long while before she giggled and said her goodbye, mumbling something about being late to see her friends. I smirked as I handed her a red rose from the table - something that I had placed as decoration there.

"Happy Valentines' Day Claire. A beautiful red rose for a beautiful girl."

She had smiled as she gracefully took the rose from my hand, stopping just to smell it, before she winked and walked out of my shop...but into my life.

For days after our first meeting she occupied my thoughts. I found myself unable to concentrate on anything except her and I grew frustrated with myself as I couldn't control the thoughts swimming in my mind. Surely she had a boyfriend...or was engaged. I knew then that I wouldn't be able to contain myself and within days I had made up my mind about what to do.

I phoned her - having have begged my new friend, Isaac Mendez, for her number. For weeks we played a game of cat and mouse with each other...I knew she was playing hard to get - having have had a lot of experience with girls. But Claire was different. In the past I had grown tired of these games but with Claire I didn't care. I found it fun...and charming and sweet in a way. As we played this game we grew closer and by the end of the year I could truthfully say that we were close friends.

Finally, after nearly a year, she stopped the game. Emphasis on the fact that she stopped it. She came to the business and smiled at me as she sat down in front of me.

"I'm ready to go on a date with you Peter..." she said with a smirk plastered over her face, something of mine that had already rubbed off on her.

"Sure you don't want another year to decide that Claire?" I joked and she gave a hearty laugh as my head soared from it. I loved the way her eyes lit up whenever she laughed...gave me the chills.

"You know I had to check if you weren't some serial killer that would kill me the first chance you got." Claire said seriously and I gave her a grin.

"Oh you see I thought that was you!" I laughed and I knew she would join in.

We had our first date on 14 February...precisely a year to the day that I met her. It wasn't planned that way and neither did we find it any since ironic. It was just...romantic. But it was on that night - on our Valentines' Day date - that we really connected on some supernatural level that seemed to be one of Odessa's mysteries. I guess I wasn't the only one who felt it...she must have felt it because we started going out soon after the date.

For two years we grew closer than anyone had ever done...or well that's what I believed. She was my princess and I was her knight in shining armor. I told her I loved her on our Valentines' Day... 1 year after our first date. Not that I didn't love her before that...but I wanted to make it special...and seeing as how Valentines' Day was special to us I held out till then. It was the most romantic...and most happy... I had ever been.

We were in love and I knew then and there that I would marry her...that Claire would be my wife. There was no doubt about it. I loved her more than I loved myself some days and I would die a thousand times just to see her smile. We spent every waking second together and when we were apart we stayed in contact every day. It was young love...that didn't seem to have an ending.

But as Odessa's mysterious clouds swept over the town so a massive cloud swept over us.

Claire grew sick...very sick. She couldn't come out of the house...she was too weak to even get out of the bed. I was worried sick about her and I spent most of my time with her...just keeping her company...telling her I love her. Praying.

Then the news came.

Claire had cancer.

Don't ask me what type...I really didn't hear the rest that the doctor said at that point. I just held Claire close to me as she cried into my chest, my own tears sliding down my cheeks. We spent two days like that - just locked in each other's embrace - before we finally moved.

Claire knew her cancer was to far gone and refused to take chemo. I don't know why but I knew that once she had made up her mind I could do nothing to stop her. She was as stubborn as me...and I loved her for it.

"What did the doctor say?" I asked a few days later as she came out of the doctor's office.

She paused as her eyes searched mine - the sparkle in her eyes long since paled. Not gone...just...paler. I took her hand softly and Claire didn't even flinch as she said the words.

"He says I will be lucky to make Valentines Day."

Those words were all it took to turn my life around in a flash. I don't know how my body responded or what happened after that. Nor do I know how I got through the next three weeks. But after that I knew what I had to do.

I walked into her room, a bunch or red roses in my hand, as I smiled and gave it to her. Haley smiled up at me as she read the card I had written for her.

_Always my beautiful red rose._

She giggled at the reference I made. It was our Valentines' secret. I sat down next to her and took her hand in mine, squeezing it slightly.

"I love you. I want you...I need you to marry me Claire. Make my dreams come true and marry me Claire Bennet..." it wasn't a long speech like on the movies but that was how I was...always to the point. Claire's eyes grew wide as she looked at me before she nodded her head and pulled me into her embrace.

"Of course I will!" she exclaimed in her soft voice and I smirked as I lightly kissed her and placed the ring on her finger.

A few weeks later we were married in a small ceremony. We didn't want anything big and we didn't want to wait long. So at the age of 26 and 25 we were married and I couldn't be any happier.

Claire lived past Valentines' Day. In fact she grew stronger with each passing day. We were so in love that we put even the greatest loves to shame.

The next Valentines' Day our daughter - our own little miracle - was born. Alexia Petrelli looked exactly like her mother with just one difference. She had my stubbornness. But we loved our little miracle with all our hearts. The doctors had told us Claire would never be able to have children...but Alexia was the proof that doctors aren't always right. We liked to think it was just one of those mysterious clouds from the town.

The cancer finally took my dear loving wife the next Valentines' Day...our daughters first birthday. It was long after we had placed our daughter in her cradle when we were lying in bed that it happened. Claire turned to me as I held her - her soft hazel eyes already telling me what she wanted to say. It was time. It was a mystery cloud that told her. I kissed her lips softly yet quickly as the tears poured down my face.

"We always knew this would happen Peter..." she said through her tears and I gave a malformed smile.

"I know. I love you Claire..." I sobbed and Claire smiled back at me as she tucked one of my long bangs behind my ear.

"I love you too Peter...with all my heart. Take care of our daughter. Tell her about me everyday. Tell her how much I loved you both." Claire's eyes began to flutter closed and I gave a sharp intake of breath.

"I will. Everyday..." I cried and Peter gave one last smile at me.

"We'll always have Valentines' Day...always..."

"Always..." I repeated as my loving wife closed her eyes and gave her last breath.

Our daughter is now 4 years old and I tell her about her mother every single day. Alexia has Claire's smile...and whenever I look at my baby girl I remember my Claire. My beautiful red rose. Alexia knows her mother well...I make sure of that...and she understands what has happened. I still live in our old house, still sleep in the same bed...and I still visit her grave on Valentines' Day. And I'll never move away from this place.

Because you see those clouds of mystery that surround this town...Claire's love has joined those clouds. And I feel it here the strongest...and I never want to let that feeling go.

So as I stand, looking down at my wife's grave, I realize that even though she might not be with me anymore...we, our daughter and I, still have her undying love...and Valentine's Day.

The End!


End file.
